10 Reasons to Take a Gap Year: How it changed my life

Summary

Katie shares her transformative experience of taking a gap year, highlighting 10 reasons why it's a life-changing decision. From stepping out of her comfort zone to gaining valuable professional experience, she discusses how her time away from school helped her develop a growth mindset, discover her passions, and build confidence. Katie emphasizes the importance of self-discovery, real-world experiences, and international travel, while also promoting EF Gap Year programs, which offer personalized travel and educational opportunities. Overall, the video encourages viewers to explore life beyond a traditional academic path.

Takeaways

• 😀 Taking a gap year can help you step out of your comfort zone and experience personal growth by embracing new challenges and opportunities.
• 😀 Life is not a linear progression — a gap year can break the pressure of adhering to a set timeline and help you explore your own path at your own pace.
• 😀 Adopting a growth mindset during a gap year can transform how you approach challenges, seeing them as opportunities for learning and improvement.
• 😀 A gap year provides valuable time to reflect on your passions and interests, helping you gain clarity on what you want to do with your life.
• 😀 Work experience gained during a gap year can enhance your resume and give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs or graduate school.
• 😀 A gap year can deepen your appreciation for education by allowing you to approach school with renewed focus and a sense of purpose.
• 😀 Interacting with professionals and mentors during a gap year can shift your perception of authority figures like professors, making them feel more approachable.
• 😀 Traveling during a gap year allows you to check off items from your bucket list, enriching your life with unforgettable experiences and memories.
• 😀 Exploring new cultures and environments during a gap year broadens your worldview, helping you grow both personally and culturally.
• 😀 EF Gap Year programs offer structured opportunities to travel, work, and learn in diverse global settings, making it easier to gain new experiences with comprehensive support.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Katie's video?

Katie's video focuses on the benefits of taking a gap year, sharing her personal experience and how it positively impacted her life. She also highlights EF Gap Year's programs as a way to structure and support students during their gap year.

How did Katie's gap year break her out of her comfort zone?

Katie describes how traveling abroad, such as her trip to Iceland, pushed her beyond her comfort zone. She went on a trip with 20 strangers to a foreign country, which helped her gain self-discovery and confidence, as she stepped outside her familiar academic environment.

What did Katie learn about the timeline of life during her gap year?

Katie learned that life is not linear, and that there is no set timeline for achieving milestones. Her gap year helped her realize that societal pressures about when things should happen, such as graduating or starting a career, are not as important as focusing on personal growth and flexibility.

How did the gap year influence Katie's perspective on ambiguity?

Katie shares that her gap year helped her become more comfortable with ambiguity, as she had to adapt to uncertain situations. She contrasts this with her previous mindset, where she sought clear outcomes, such as getting good grades, and found the idea of not having defined goals difficult to cope with.

What role did the growth mindset play in Katie’s gap year experience?

A growth mindset allowed Katie to see challenges and setbacks as opportunities for improvement. It encouraged her to work on her weaknesses, broaden her possibilities, and be open to change, all of which contributed to her career clarity and personal development.

In what ways did Katie's gap year help her figure out her future career path?

The gap year provided Katie with the time and space to reflect on what she truly wanted to do with her life. This reflection helped her gain clarity on her future career path, which she says she could not have envisioned without the time off from formal education.

How did Katie’s gap year give her a professional advantage?

Katie worked in a museum during her gap year, which provided her with valuable work experience. This experience gave her an edge when applying for grad schools and allowed her to contribute a unique perspective to her academic discussions upon returning to her studies.

What was Katie's attitude towards school after returning from her gap year?

After her gap year, Katie returned to school with a more positive and engaged attitude. Rather than seeing school solely as a means to an end, she became more interested in what she could gain from her coursework in the present moment, making her a more reflective and involved student.

How did Katie's experience working with professors change after her gap year?

Katie’s work experience during her gap year made her view professors as ordinary people rather than authoritative figures. This shift in perspective helped her communicate more comfortably and effectively with professors, breaking down some of the anxiety she had as a younger student.

What were some of the benefits of traveling during Katie’s gap year?

Traveling during her gap year allowed Katie to see the world and check items off her bucket list. This experience helped broaden her cultural knowledge, grew her confidence, and gave her a new perspective on life, as she was able to physically visit iconic landmarks and immerse herself in different cultures.

How did Katie's gap year contribute to her personal growth?

Katie’s gap year contributed to her personal growth by expanding her tastes and exposing her to new experiences. From watching different movies to visiting cultural sites, these experiences helped her grow as a person and gave her more things to connect with others about, further enhancing her self-awareness and confidence.